Elmo taking to skies with starring role in Qantas in-flight videos

There are definitely some people (most of them under 11 years of age) who think Elmo's voice is the cutest thing in the world. For the rest of us, well, there's a limit. It's why, for millions of us, that Tickle Me Elmo beneath the Christmas tree meant a January's worth of plugging our ears. Now imagine Elmo's voice being piped in at 30,000 feet while you're strapped into coach for a long-ass haul over the Pacific! No, Elmo's not doing the safety announcements ("Elmo says the nearest exit might be behind you!"). Not yet, anyway. The fuzzy red creature will star with cohorts Ernie, Bert and Cookie Monster in a series of in-flight videos on Qantas Airlines' trans-Pacific flights, beginning Dec. 1. The six episodes ready for viewing are what the press release from Sesame Workshop describes as "fun, engaging adventures." We take it they don't mean stuff like trying to board the plane without passing the shoe inspection or, the biggest adventure of all, snaring a pillow without getting charged for it.

—Posted by Robert Klara